


Teen Love

by alxq



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24428452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alxq/pseuds/alxq
Summary: Snippets of Catra and Adora, from another world.They are teenagers in love, knowing this virtue in intimate touches, in spoken prayers, in longing looks.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 89





	1. bike

**Author's Note:**

> This is where I'll dump the fanfiction I wrote for the art I make.  
> Twitter: fbsp_art

It was a hot day so Adora didn't change back into her casuals, despite how drenched with sweat she was. When she walked out of the changing room, backpack stuffed with clothes, pens and wrinkled loose-leaf papers, she breathed in the sweet summer air slowly.

She took out her water bottle from her bag and made a dramatic show of chugging half of it down. She always appreciated how clear her mind was after soccer training. It more than made up for the struggles she had with Math (she understands it but she _doesn't_ understand it) and was more fun to focus on than Art (she's very fidgety).

She put away her bottle, checked belongings _one more time_ to make sure that everything was accounted for (she can't risk forgetting her notebook again!) and started walking towards the bike rack near the entrance gate. As she got closer, the faded baby blue steel frame, the white-and-red thin tires, the painfully bright rainbow accents on her bike came into view.

She got the bike when she was 6-it was getting a bit small for her but she was fond of it. She even got a matching helmet with rainbow wings. She called it 'Swift Wind' because the brand was called 'Swift Ride' and she wasn't too creative with it. When she got to her bike, unlatching the lock and walking it up to the side so she wasn't in the way, she waited.

And waited...

And waited...

(it has only been 3 minutes, but Adora was not a patient girl.)

And waited...

Until the familiar halo of dark curls came into her view, freckles dusting the bridge of her nose, over her cheeks, down to her shoulders, and blue and gold eyes cutting through Adora's worries.

Catra was unpredictable with her arrival. Sometimes, she made Adora wait 15 minutes after soccer practice. Other times, Catra was the one waiting for Adora. Regardless of how long Catra took, Adora would always be there waiting for her at the gate.

"Hey Adora," Catra announced, "did I make Princess wait too long?" She put up her hands behind her head while she closed the gap between her and Adora.

Adora blushed-she'll never get used to that-and thanked every higher being that her blush was masked by her sun-kissed skin. "Well, seeing as I went through all the stages of grief, I think you did." Catra whacked her shoulder.

"Boo. I had to pick the lock on my own locker because it got jammed." Catra stuck her tongue out but took the helmet from Adora's outstretched hands and put it on her head. She pulled on Adora's backpack strap until she relented (but not without half-hearted arguments that she has it, it's fine!). Swinging her backpack on her shoulders, the combined weight with Catra's messenger bag made her sag a bit but she didn't mind it.

"Are you ever going to clasp the helmet on?" Adora straddled and steadied her bike while Catra got on the back seat.

"I think wearing the helmet is already a favor for both of us, Adora." Catra put her arms around Adora's waist and scooted closer. "Now come on, blondie, I wanna catch up on that one stupid telenovela with the girl before I have to do homework." She planted her feet on the bike pegs and Adora pushed the bike forward.

They've been riding home together for as long as Adora had the bike. During the pre-bike era, they would walk and complain all the way. Catra saw stars when she realized she wouldn't have to walk after school anymore and promptly crash landed when Adora showed off the helmet.

The breeze was soft on their skin. Adora always biked at a leisure pace, and always took the long way home. ' _I want to see more with you_ ,' she answered one day when Catra asked her where she was going. Catra wanted to replay the memory forever, the way the light made her radiant, her eyes a comforting blue, how she looked at Catra with only love and smiled with all her being.

Catra put her chin on Adora's shoulder and wrinkled her nose. "Cat got your tongue?" Adora laughed when Catra stuck out her tongue. It was low hanging fruit, but Catra let her do it anyways.

"Haha, very funny. But that's not what I'm complaining about."

"What is it then?" Adora turned them down a hidden, grassy path, recently discovered when one of the bike's tires popped and they had to move off to the side to brainstorm a quick fix. It ended badly for the bike but the two of them had fun chasing each other through the quiet, open fields.

"Adora, you stink." She squeezed Adora tighter at her confession and focused on Adora's face as she laughed.

"Then stop smelling me Catra!" Her blushed deepened, both at the slight embarrassment (she knew she should've changed earlier! and maybe put on more deodorant!) and the way Catra still hugged her.

"No." And Catra spent the whole time calling her stinky, making her laugh, and keeping her closer every day.


	2. list

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another one! This time a bit more Catra-centric.  
> Twitter: fbsp_art

Truth be told, Catra had conflicting emotions about summer. In fact, she was so conflicted, she wrote a list on paper to sort it all out. It had been through two summers and the irreclaimable bits with smudged graphite had taken up more space than the list itself.

She feels silly for needing to write this down just to determine how she views summer, especially at the ripe age of 15, but her head gets too cluttered sometimes. She looked over her current list, the paper crinkled and worn.

* * *

CONS OF THE SUMMER

  1. hair frizz ←the WORST
  2. i get sticky n sweaty UGH
  3. stinky gross people  
~~adora is always like this after practice tho~~
  4. cold showers >:(
  5. people keep lookin at me like ima freak  
its called HAIR they always hate my hair tho
  6. STUPID BUGS AND STUPID MOSQUITOeS  
FLYIN INTO MY ROOM
  7. ~~######=~~ its summer
  8. theres gnna be more people at the movies  
and parks and ihate it
  9. |||| ////



~~~~~~~~~~~

PROS OF THE SUMMER

  1. i like tank tops ni get to wear my vest  
w/o an excuse
  2. NO SCHOOL, MY BIRTHDAY
  3. being warm is nice
  4. coldshowers :( pools
  5. ~~ado#########s, shorts m####~~ ??
  6. ...



* * *

She scratched her head. She was so sure she liked summer a lot more than just these four things (pointedly getting embarrassed over her impulsive #5 but wasn't necessarily a lie. However, she crossed it out anyways). She paced restlessly all around her room, swatting the annoying flies that buzz at her, grunting and groaning and pulling at her hair trying to think of anything else she liked about summer.

She liked going to the arcade with Adora to play Street Fighter on a battered machine tucked in the corner, or air hockey and then crying when the puck hit her pinky because she wasn't tucking in her fingers right. Of course, Adora kissing her finger and giving it a bandaid (a completely unnecessary gesture but welcome nonetheless) more than made up for it.

She was about to write 'arcade fun timez' down the list, but she thought against it because they went to that arcade regardless of the season. Back to Step 1 for Catra.

She liked that she can try new things during the summer. Without the impending doom of homework or the pressures of gross boys hitting on her constantly, she has time to start a new hobby. She recently picked up a second-hand guitar from the nearby pawn store and it was in surprisingly good shape. Whenever Adora couldn't come over for a sleepover, they would call until the quiet of the night, Catra softly plucking at the strings while Adora listened and told her how good she's getting.

She blushed when she remembered the first time she played Adora a quick melody, something she had been practicing on for two whole weeks. "It sounds so sweet, Catra..." with beaming eyes, sincerity oozing out of that smile of hers. Ever since, she has worked tirelessly behind the scenes so she could strum a real song for Adora in the future. She faced the paper once more and wrote down a line.

* * *

5\. ~~ado#########s, shorts m####~~ ??  
learned to play giutar kinda

* * *

There was still a big gap between the pros and cons. She paced around some more, rolled on her bed, turned herself upside down, hung onto the door frame to her room and swung wildly around. Then, a realization popped in her head.

Adora still had soccer practice during the summer. She said to Catra that her coach said it was 'to keep her in shape' and it puzzled Catra for the rest of the week because Adora was always in shape. Well, she exercised more than Catra at least. But every time Adora had to tell Catra that she had practice, she made it up immediately after getting out.

She dashed to her paper immediately and scribbled her thoughts down before it floated away from her.

* * *

6\. adora always finds a way  
to make it up to me

* * *

She stepped back, then groaned. This was another impulse write. She was about to erase it when her phone dinged. It was 5:20PM, which meant that Adora would be getting out of practice soon.

Catra had said goodbye to Adora earlier because: 1) she did not want to stay on the bleachers under the sun for three hours, as tempting as it is to watch Adora run around, fierce, focused eyes as she goes through her drills and 2) she wanted to change into something comfier for when they come back to Catra's house for a movie marathon. Adora pouted and Catra _almost_ stayed. Unfortunately, con #1 and #2 won that argument today.

"Well, red always looked good on me anyways." She patted at her worn jeans, torn just the way she liked it and twisted and turned to make sure her tank and vest were still okay. Then, she ran out the door and to the soccer fields.

Adora was doing her cool down stretches on the grass, bent in half to reach the flats of her shoes with her fingers. Sweat was dotting her forehead and every time she pushed forward, her arms would flex and her muscles would shift. Catra, in all her unabashed staring, would follow each movement.

She walked quietly towards Adora and plopped down next to her, pulling her leg to her chest and her chin and a hand on the knee. Her other hand reaches out to pull on some grass.

"Hey Adora," she purred, tilting her head to the side and her curls cascaded to the side. "It didn't even look like you broke a sweat."

Adora smiled, uneven teeth from years of rough play-fights. "Yeah, it was easier today. I dunno why but I'm kinda glad for it. It's really hot today." She looked at Catra and just admired the way the setting rays bounced off her hair, a literal halo forming around her.

But Catra was looking at something else at the moment. "Ugh, Sea Hawk is stripping again." She made a small noise of disgust.

Adora didn't hear her. She just kept staring with that dopey face of hers-Catra's sharp canines have poked under her lips and she couldn't resist looking away. "Mmmm..."

When Catra turned to face her (because did she just hum at _Sea Hawk_ , of all people?), she found two steel-blue eyes on her instead. Disarmed by how much wonder they held, she sputtered. "Uh-uh... A-Adora?"

"Yes Catra?" Adora sighed in a heavenly voice that surely made Catra blush harder.

"It-it's movie night remember? Dummy, get changed so we can start!" Catra was standing up and dusting herself, for she feared that her shaking hands would betray her if she had sat still for a second longer.

That snapped Adora from her reverie. The slight falter was immediately replaced by excitement. "Oh, right! We'll finally get to watch The Thing! I'll be right back!" She literally catapulted herself off the ground and into the changing rooms.

A sigh of relief from Catra. She made a mental note to add one more thing to the end of her list before jogging up to meet Adora at the doors, shouting at her to hurry it up.

* * *

7\. lists are stupid  
adora is stupide ~~r n cute~~  
but any season i get to see  
her in cant be all that bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #5 on Catra's very secret PROS OF THE SUMMER list:  
> adora wears shorts more


	3. promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fics aren't really continuous, I just couldn't miss the opportunity to make the iconic "I promise" scene.  
> Twitter: fbsp_art

They were growing up.

Adora's shoulders got broader, her muscles defined, her jawline more handsome. She towered over most people now, piercing blue eyes looking down on everyone she meets. She walks with purpose, unshakable determination in each step. Her entire being golden and bright, blinding like the sun. 

Catra grew lean, her edges sharp, her wit sharper. Her hair exploded with new growth, streaks of white kissing her temples and running down the fields of curls. Her lanky frame now moved with grace, as if locked forever in a lover's dance. Blue and gold eyes always watching, alluring like the moon.

Even if their bodies pulled them in different directions, they always came back to each other. Their limbs, so fond of the other body, still fit each other after all these years. Every higher being made sure they always came together perfectly. They were made for each other. They knew it with every touch, every glance, every word, every feeling.

Today was Adora's 18th birthday. She was standing at the precipice of new challenges and new fears. But she understood one thing: as long as Catra was there with her every step of the way, all the hardships and pain that comes her way will be worth it in the end. As long as they had each other, nothing could stop them.

And so her friends-Catra, Glimmer, Bow-and her friends' friends-Scorpia, Entrapta, Kyle, Lonnie, Rogelio, Perfuma, Mermista, Frosta, Sea Hawk, Spinnerella, Netossa-coordinated, with extreme difficulty, and threw her a birthday bash at Glimmer's house. Her house was the only one that could host such a large party (and frankly, the only house that allowed the antics of several teenagers at once). It was a mess of running, screaming, food fights and terrible singing and it made Adora feel fuzzy inside.

(She felt especially fuzzy, her heart beating wildly inside her chest, when Catra gave her a tender kiss on the edge of her lips. Amongst the chaos, she had pulled her aside, away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears, and bared her heart for Adora to take. She took it and, in return, gifted her own heart.)

After the buzz of sugar rushes (and sugar crashes), all of the trash was taken care of and all of the leftovers were split evenly, Adora gave everyone a strong, teary-eyed hug and a thousand thanks. "You make it sound like you're dying, Princess," Catra joked, canines flashing. Adora shook her head and wiped away her tears, "You guys didn't have to do this party just for me."

Catra huffed, poked Adora right in between her eyes, "Uh, duh, we didn't have to, we just _wanted_ to." Everyone chimed in with their own affirmations and Adora felt her cheeks go ablaze. Unabashedly crying once again, Adora said thanks (again) and waved goodbye to her friends as she and Catra started walking back home, their hands having already found each other before their first step.

"Still think you're emotionally ready for the Parks and Recreation marathon?" Catra said in between swings of their arms.

She wiggled the fingers intertwined with Catra's. "Oh, I'm never ready."

Catra smiled, all teeth and sharp points, and Adora swallowed her spit. "Maybe a run will clear that big blonde head of yours?" And she was off, leaving in her wake a cacophony of laughter and Adora's surprised protests, her heavy footfalls coming down hard and fast behind her.

They were three blocks away from Adora's house, but it was a zigzag of uneven sidewalks, stop signs and back alleys. Adora had endurance but Catra had speed. Adora pounded on the pavement, each step boosting her next, and her eyes and feet followed bouncing curls and hollow jibes. The exhilaration of the hunt made them equals and Adora didn't want to stop chasing her.

In all her excitement, however, she crashed into Catra, who had won the race and was waiting for Adora by the door.

Some shouting, a groan or two, hair frazzled, a shoulder whacked, a tongue sticking out, laughter following closely behind as two hands helped each other stand back up and into the house.

The sun was setting and they have just finished the episode with Leslie's breakup. They reclined on the blanket and pillows haphazardly thrown on the wooden floor and just relished the warmth on their skin, from the sun and from where they touched each other. Catra's finger found a blonde strand and started absently playing with it.

"Thank you, Catra, for everything." Adora turned her head to face Catra, who stared from the corner of her eyes.

"Hmm, I thought you were done with the waterworks." Catra extended her hand to catch Adora's, and curled it around her fingers. Adora returned the gesture tenfold, gently.

"I don't think I ever will be." She gave a small smile and it made Catra's heart soar out the window and to the sun.

They laid still, looking at each other, a conversation with nothing but the palpable love they have in each other. Catra's finger pulled slightly on Adora's hair before releasing it to twirl around with again.

The silence was broken with a quiet wish. "Let's stay like this, forever," Adora's voice ghosting the air between them, "Just us, together."

A beat. Catra's finger stilled. Adora faltered when Catra didn't immediately respond. She felt the world close in on her as seconds passed her by. Suddenly, the room felt too hot and she felt too vulnerable. But she waited. For Catra, she will.

"You promise?" She almost missed Catra's plea. She beamed and tightened her hold on their hands.

"I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glimmer and Bow actually suggested the birthday bash but Catra basically butted in to make sure it's tailored to Adora. Then the others heard about it and pitched in. All of them looked at Glimmer once someone asked where they should hold the party.


	4. kitten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm might not be my best work, art and fic, but I wanted to draw tiny baby Melog.  
> Twitter: fbsp_art

Catra loves basking in the sun. She hates the heat, but when it's bearable? She melts into putty, light and content.

She was curled up on the front porch steps outside her house, just feeling the rays on her skin and the breeze kissing her temples. Her eyes were closed, focusing intently on the sounds of birds singing, the occasional car whizzing past, the leaves rustling. Held captive by her senses and the world, she was caught off-guard when something batted her toes.

It wasn't her best moment-she was so glad no one was there to see her jump three feet up the air and whack her head on the rusting gutters. Landing on shaky legs, she immediately backed towards the door, scanning for any movement that rendered her so... graceless.

Five seconds passed and Catra was beginning to think her brain just wanted to have fun with her. With a huff, she inched forward slowly but stopped when she saw a bundle of black and white on the steps, tail swinging languidly as it, too, enjoyed the warmth beating down on it.

It was a small, scruffy kitten and it was love at first sight. Catra kneeled before the cat and leaned forward. "Hey kitten, what are you doing here?" in a higher pitch than normal. She was _so_ glad no one was there. She stretched out a hand, a finger wiggling to catch its attention.

It looked over to her, opened its eyes and Catra gasped. An electric blue so vivid and deep that it mesmerized her. If the fathoms of the ocean held mystery and terror, its eyes had nothing but comfort and understanding.

But then she noticed how _awful_ the thing looked. It was emaciated, its skeleton threatening to push out of its skin and scabs filled the patches of skin where fur couldn't grow. Fleas and ticks crawled all over its body. Catra shuddered violently.

It had no collar and judging from how small it is, it must have been a stray born in the streets. There were a lot of cats in the neighborhood, all of whom were fond of Catra (and she fond of them), so it wouldn't be a surprise if there were one or two litters out and about at any given week.

It tried to stand up only to sway dangerously and proceeded to sit back down with a soft 'whump' and a tiny mewl. It was growing weak and Catra weaker. She had to do something, _anything_. When its head drooped at an odd angle, Catra acted.

In a rush of adrenaline and panic, she picked up the kitten carefully and rushed to the nearest clinic. She couldn't hear anything but the sounds the cat made when it was jostled in her arms. She felt paralyzed in her own body, moving by its own autonomy. When she came back from her out of body experience, she was standing in front of the desk of the veterinary clinic, babbling too fast and too frenzied for her mind to register her words. An exchange of hands and the kitten was gone, rushed behind closed doors.

Then, she waited the longest 26 minutes of her life.

Finally, an imposing person dressed in a white lab gown appeared before her. When she spoke, it held only empathy and care. "She's very lucky that you brought her in. If she went for another hour without any intervention, it would've been impossible to help her then. Thank you." The veterinarian gave her a small smile. "She's in critical condition, so she has to be monitored for the next two weeks but you can come visit and check on her every day."

Catra could only nod, overwhelming relief having shocked her system. She didn't snap out of it until Adora visited her later that evening, hand full of sugary pastries and stacks of animated movies.

For the next two weeks, Catra visited her tiny friend. Every day it got better and every day Catra's heart grew larger. The staff was not surprised to learn her name was Catra, of all things. They started joking that the kitten should be called Kitra-mommy Catra and her baby Kitra. She could only furiously blush at them, hands still absently playing with baby Catra, but she didn't mind it.

On the last day, the veterinarian bid the both of them goodbye as she handed the kitten along with its immunization papers. As a gift, she gave Catra a bright blue collar.

"Take care and if you need anymore help, we'll be here."

Walking back home, she thought about kitten sleeping in her arms. It reminded her of something of the movie that she and Adora watched-a mom lost her child, some raiders came to town, she summoned a being that looked like her child but eventually she had to destroy it even though it she loved it. Hopefully she wouldn't have to get to that last part, she was only concerned with the first half. The cat raised back from near death-it was almost poetic.

 _The Golem_! Right, the being was called a golem. She really didn't want to call it Kitra (or baby Catra for that matter. Any variation on her name was off the table) so she settled with the next best thing: Golem. Except, it didn't last. First of all, it was a bad reference. The doctors didn't remake the kitten with itself and it didn't have anything carved on its forehead-she checked. Second, calling it Zombie was overdone and it didn't fit this sweet little thing. Third, Melog was just reaching straws at this point, but it saves the reference without the reference. She settled with Melog.

Once she got to her house, all hell broke loose. A cat living in Catra's house was a different monster than a cat living in the clinic. It turned out this ball of fur had more energy than Adora on the soccer field. She snorted at the image of Adora chasing Melog across the green but she smiled fondly nonetheless. It distracted her long enough for Melog to skitter under her bed, meowing its challenge.

She dove after it. "No, Melog, come out from there!" She wagged the prey toy, hoping it would get it to come to her.

She was in the middle of ushering it out from under the bed when Adora announced her arrival. Unfortunately it fell on deaf ears because Adora caught her in a compromising position-body flat on the floor, her mass of curls blanketing her back as she made tiny squeaking noises and flailed the arms under her bed.

She merely shrugged. "Can't say this was the weirdest thing we've done." Adora dropped down and mimicked Catra's position, turning her head towards the other girl. "Catra."

"Adora? Where did you-wait, hold on-" then something attacked Adora's face, all soft and furry and _pointy_. It made her jerk her head up and hit it on Catra's solid wood bedframe.

There was a wild flurry of limbs from both parties as they scrambled to get out from under the bed. Adora rubbed the spot where she banged her head and Catra fussed over her. More than usual, Adora noted. It was nice.

"What was that?" The pain subsided and she laid back against Catra's bed, legs splayed in front of her.

Catra turned Adora's face around-no scratches, no bleeding-but also no sign of the kitten. She dropped her hands and sighed, sitting beside Adora and leaning back. "It was supposed to be a surprise, and I guess in a way it was? That wasn't what I had in mind, though."

Now Adora was confused. "What? What are you talking about?" But then something jumped on her lap and she gave a small shriek, something Catra was sure to _never_ let go of.

The moment she laid eyes on it, her entire world melted away. She brought her hands up to her face and squealed.

"Meet Melog." Catra reached out to pet the kitten at the scruff of its neck.

"She's so cute!" Adora's voice oozed with affection.

At Adora's request, Catra told how she ended up with a small purring machine in her hands. It flitted back and forth between Adora and Catra's affections, greedy in its attempt to be pet all at once. More often than not, it sat on Adora's legs, a content face beaming at the two of them.

"Huh, she really likes you. Everyone at the clinic had a hard time with her." Melog purred loudly every time Adora ran her hand on its back.

"Really?" That comment went directly to her head. Her smile got wider and her eyes twinkled. "Thank you for trusting me, Melog," she cooed with absolute sincerity.

At one point, Melog fell asleep in Adora's lap and it took all of her willpower to stop at the 58th picture she took on her phone. Catra took the kitten and put it in its tiny bed for some proper rest. Adora pouted the entire time, just staring at the rise and fall of its chest as it breathed. When it started stretching its legs, Adora had to be restrained from getting more videos and pictures.

"I barely got her today, Adora!" Catra swiped her phone and stuck it in her pockets. "So you don't get tempted while we play Twister."

"Catra," Adora whined, weak slaps directed at Catra's shoulders, "come on, don't you wanna document your new status as 'Cat Mom'?"

"Shouldn't I be the one taking pictures then?" Catra pulled out the Twister board and wheel. "At this point, you're the 'Cat Mom' between us."

"Your name is literally Catra, Catra." Adora spun the wheel. It landed on GREEN, RIGHT FOOT.

"And?" Catra got RED, RIGHT FOOT.

"It means you'll always be called 'Cat Mom' when you adopt anything." GREEN, LEFT HAND.

"So what, we're both 'Cat Mom' now?" BLUE, RIGHT HAND. "Is Melog our child?"

Adora almost looked hurt, were it not for her grin. "Of course! Don't deny it, she loves us and we love her. We're gonna be the best cat moms around." RED, RIGHT HAND.

Catra blew air from her mouth, a blush creeping over her entire body. As she spun the wheel one more time, the prospect of a small loving family with Adora wasn't so bad. They were already well on their way before Melog came.

Yes, she thought, they _will_ be the best cat moms around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually drew something before this but it's angst (expands how Adora got two scars across the bridge of her nose from Catra) and it didn't fit the ongoing theme of "love snippets."  
> 


	5. cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting back into the groove of drawin n fic writin ;0  
> Twitter: fbsp_art

From the moment Catra woke up, she knew it was going to be an awful day. She had fallen asleep on her arm in an awkward way so pinpricks crawled up her arm and to her shoulders. She drooled up an ocean, half her face sticky and crusty and sweaty. Her eyes squinted harshly at the soft glow of the sun on her bedroom walls. Her entire body was sore all over, as if she decided to try out Adora's workout regiment for an entire day.

(She has done that before, shadowed Adora to a T and even helped best her jogging time. Of course, she'd rather do anything than exercise but Adora looked at her with those big, blue, pleading eyes when she knew Catra was weak against it. Oh, she despised how spineless she is when it comes to that.)

But the worst part of it all? Worse than the snot and the tiredness and the loud pounding in her head? The resounding sneeze that shook herself off the bed.

Catra was sick. Annoyingly and disgustingly so.

She rarely got sick and she held that over Adora many, _many_ times. Catra would've thought that Adora would be the one who doesn't get sick-she's got an unbelievably healthy lifestyle with an even more impossibly positive attitude about everything. Granted, Adora only ever had small headaches and a cold that went away within the day but it happened frequently enough that people get surprised when she tells them she's fine.

Catra, on the other hand, got the worse end of the stick. Okay so maybe it's because she doesn't always eat great (chips and soda are a hard thing to say no to) and maybe it's because she doesn't at least do some minimal exercises some days (it was warm that day! and I was talking a break from homework!) and maybe it's because she doesn't always clean up her mess (it's fine, I'll do it later, I _promise_ ) but she's been good! She's been good to herself recently and she's been keeping up with all her work and she's been nice to Glimmer even when she makes the bad decision to try and bake a cake without consulting instructions for her dad's birthday.

So why did she get hit with another lung-wrecking cough!?

With a deep, guttural groan, she pushes herself towards the bathroom sink to wash away her face. When she looked up to the mirror, all she saw was bloodshot eyes and a sneer to challenge fate itself. Oh, she's definitely going to miss school, not that she didn't mind. She just wished it was for a different reason.

With great pains, she got a bath running, went to microwave some mushroom soup, and threw off all the junk on her bed to the floor. Settling the bowl on her bedside table and herself into the water, she closed her eyes and just felt the heat pull and tug her muscles loose. She almost fell asleep, were it not for a ping from her phone. It would have to wait, however, because this was the one moment of bliss she has had since this morning.

Well, her phone had other ideas. After the fifth consecutive ping, Catra grumbled. After the ninth ding, she has already drained the bath and was taking one last rinse to get the suds out of her hair. At the twelfth ping, she picked it up.

* * *

princess dummy (10:54 AM): Catra, did you skip English again?

princess dummy (10:54 AM): You know you can't skip it anymore!

princess dummy (10:55 AM): If you ask for help in the homework, I swear I'll lock you in your room until you finish it.

princess dummy (10:56 AM): Actually, are you even in school right now?

princess dummy (10:56 AM): Catra, tell me you're in school right now.

princess dummy (11:01 AM): Catra, are you okay? Did something happen?

princess dummy (11:01 AM): Are you hurt?

princess dummy (11:02 AM): Catra please answer

princess dummy (11:06 AM): I just talked to Netossa, she didnt see you in Math either

princess dummy (11:06 AM): Catra where are you

princess dummy (11:10 AM): please

princess dummy (11:14 AM): im coming to your house

ME (11:15 AM): wait wat

ME (11:16 AM): adora i just took a bath im fine just sick

princess dummy (11:26 AM): hold tight

ME (11:27 AM): wat r u planin

ME (11:33 AM): adora

ME (11:45 AM): ADORA WAT R U GNNA DO

* * *

There was a sharp rap on the door that scared the daylights out of Catra. Melog meowed and pawed it.

"Catra, it's me," Adora's muffled voice came from the other side, "Open up."

"Geez, Princess, hold on." A series of shuffling and clicks and Adora crossed the threshold into Catra's house, hair blown all around her, sweat patches on her head, and breathing heavily.

"Did you just bike all the way here to check up on me? In the middle of school?" Catra could only gawk at the sight before her.

Adora leaned her bike against the nearby wall and fixed her ponytail. "Yeah, why wouldn't I?" She bent down to give Melog an affectionate scratch behind its ear.

Catra felt herself get hotter-stupid Adora and her stupid concern. "I'm fine..." though it sounded more like a whimper.

"Hm? What was that?" Adora righted herself up and faced her. "Oh, wow, you look more awful than I thought."

That brought back Catra's crankiness. "Thanks, I wouldn't have known." She turned around to shamble back to her room, Adora and Melog fussing over her all the while.

It wasn't so bad being doted on by Adora. As zealous as she is with almost everything she does, she always cares with a gentle hand, as if she was scared that she would be coming off too strong in every sense of the word. Of course, she fumbled a lot with cleaning up the mess and insisted on spoon feeding Catra _everything_. It got to the point that Adora strong-armed Catra, swaddled her into a blanket and cradled her into submission (not very hard considering her state). Effective and humiliating.

(Catra won the argument that no, she does _not_ need help with going to the bathroom, thank you _very_ much! Adora still stood outside the door and knocked on it whenever she didn't hear any noise, much to Catra's displeasure.)

After Catra convinced to Adora that she doesn't have to be a literal baby, they opted to share a blanket instead. A better, more dignified compromise for Catra because she had the freedom of moving her legs and the cozy warmth that Adora seemed to naturally possess. It made her the perfect cuddling partner.

When Adora returned with a steaming mug of hot cocoa and a pile of stale fortune cookies, they went back to watching Session 9 until the room suddenly got dark. At first, they didn't mind it too much-it was 6 PM now-though Adora turned the lights on and returned to bed. Then the first patter of rain hit Catra's window. They turned around, mug in Catra's hand and cookie in Adora's, and just looked out the window as more fell down.

Catra hummed, appreciating how it muffled everything, dulling it all into a nice pleasant background hum-except Adora's cookie cracking. But she didn't mind that at all. Melog tried to swat at the droplets that landed on the window.

"Also, the book report's due tomorrow," Adora said in between cracks, focused in her attempt to annihilate every single cookie. Her fortune read " _APPRECIATE YOUR LOVED ONES. LISTEN._ "

A groan and a sip. "Don't remind me."

They stayed like this until Catra resigned herself to sleep and opened her arms, a silent invitation for Adora to spend the night at her place. And sleep they did, until Adora woke up to Catra sneezing harder than the storm that grew outside. What's another missed school day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> watch me try to write out any possible implication of catra/adora having any kind of parental unit in their house even though theyre teens
> 
> also, adora's contact name for catra is (heart emojis) CATRA LOVE (heart emojis)  
> edit: ah.. forgot catra's freckles... im a fake fan :(


	6. bruise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so disclaimer: this one is ANGST and honestly i debated long and hard with posting this. :( im sorry for the people who wanted fluff im just full of emotions
> 
> WARNING: SELF-HARM

Adora is clumsy despite having great hand-eye and foot-eye coordination. It's weird, she does extremely well with juggling a ball on her foot but pencils slip from her hand often enough that Catra would keep a tally of how many times it had fallen. She plays patty-cake fast and accurate but the moment she thinks about it, she fumbles and slaps her game partner hard.

She didn't wonder too hard on why that is. She didn't want to. She didn't need to.

So instead, she focused on making a big lunch for her 9AM soccer practice. She laid out her ingredients on the cutting board. Making the sandwiches was easy enough: bread, ham, cheese, bread, done.

Bread, ham, cheese, bread.

Bread, ham, cheese, bread.

(She looked at the clock-she wasn't due for another 48 minutes but she likes being prepared.)

Bread, ham, cheese, bread.

Four stacked sandwiches. After a quick clean up of the board, she brandished a knife. Mechanically, she takes one, lays it flat, aims at the halfway point on the left side and slices it clean through to the right. She stacks the halves on top of each other and does one final cleave down.

She was doing fine until she started looking at her hands. Before she knew it, she had cut her thumb. She hissed and pulled her hands away, checking how deep the cut went. It wasn't too bad, she determined, but it was painful enough to be distracting. She washed off the blood and rushed to get a band-aid to cover it. In classic Adora fashion, it was a bright neon green with the word "LOVE" in big, bold yellow. She kept absentmindedly pressing on her wound, the sting unpleasant and sobering. She packed the rest of her uncut food into her bag and threw in some extra clothes without too much thought. She had a niggling feeling that if she spent more than a second thinking of how stupid she was for being so careless, she would get into trouble.

(She had no idea what kind of trouble it is, just _trouble_.)

She came to soccer practice 14 minutes early. She spent that time closing and opening her hand, reading and re-reading her band-aid.

The cut on her thumb stole her attention too often during practice. It made her look at it, made herself hyper-aware of her limbs and her face and her hand and her cut. A ball was kicked and voices overlapped, vying for dominance. The world went sideways when she followed the ball without a second thought. It was dumb-she should've let it go because it was a lost cause but she wanted to do something about it. She _had_ to do something about it.

She tripped on the asphalt when she was trying to block the ball going towards the corner of the field.

She didn't get up immediately, instead feeling the searing burn on her skinned elbows and knees. She kept blinking because her vision didn't want to focus. She only noticed she was crying when someone tapped her shoulder and asked her if she was okay. Her coach jogged up to her, pulled her up and asked her if she can walk with her to the office for the first aid kit. She bit her tongue to keep a sob from coming out and nodded curtly.

Once inside, she sat her down and wet a piece of cloth. "You seem distracted, Adora," her coach said, gently rinsing off her bruises, "what's wrong?"

Adora shook her head, keeping her lips clamped shut. She didn't want to hear her voice waver.

"It's okay to make mistakes, you know," she had begun putting antibiotics, the cold shock and hot pain mingling on Adora's skin, "don't be so hard on yourself. One bad day doesn't spell out your entire life."

She knew that. She understood the words, the context, the meaning of the sequence. She just couldn't believe in it. She nodded in response, already dreading where the conversation will lead.

"Good. I want you to go back home and-"

"No!" Adora immediately slapped her hands on her mouth, red blooming over her face. She was spiraling too fast and she couldn't keep up.

"Adora, it's fine. You're not going to get left behind with one day off the field." Her coach put a heavy hand on her shoulder in an effort to extend sympathies. She _hated_ it. She wanted nothing more than to shrug it off. She stiffened instead.

"I'm fine, coach, please, it's just a scratch-" but she shut up when her coach shook her head and frowned.

"I'm serious. We can't risk you hurting yourself again. It's not worth it," she had stood up to get some gauze when Adora took off suddenly. Her coach called after her but she was long gone. She kept running, each step dotted with pain buzzing from some part of her body and a voice getting louder and louder in her thoughts.

_not worth it not worth it not worth it_

She was crying. She knew because she felt something wet drip down her chin. But she didn't stop. It was only when she collapsed under a big, gnarled tree that she took a large, shuddering breath. She pressed the palm of her hands to her eyes and willed herself to stop but it only came harder. She looked around the park she was in-it was a quiet afternoon so she took it upon herself to make herself just as quiet. Less of a disappointment, less of a nuisance.

She could've gotten the ball if she tried harder. She could've moved her hand out of the way faster. She could've handled herself better. She could've done it.

But she didn't and she hated herself for it.

She pinched the cut on her thumb-it made her nerves scream in agony. She pressed harder and harder.

_stupid stupid stupid stupid_

She let go, only to push her fingertips on her knees next. The medicine seeped under her nails and it made stars appear in her vision. When she pulled away, she didn't feel any better.

She must've been under that tree for hours because when she came to, she had bruised her knuckles from punching the rocks that littered the base of the tree and the sun was set high above the tree, spying on her misery from behind the foliage. She heard rustling and saw Catra on the nearby pathway, surprise written on her face. Oh, no.

"Don't you have practice today? DId it get cancel-" Catra barely moved one step when Adora started crying again. On instinct, Catra ran to her side and held her. She was saying something but Adora couldn't hear her for she was drowning by her own hands.

Adora let herself be enveloped in a hug, each minute came with a fresh wave of tears and sobbing and each one came with Catra giving her a kiss to her temple and a rub on her back.

By the time Adora had settled down, Catra was leaning on her, a comforting weight that always stabilized her. Catra's hair tickled Adora's neck. She smelled like lavender and pine. She was humming something, the vibrations steadying the beat of Adora's heart. Adora leaned her cheek against Catra's head and sighed.

"I'm sorry... for that..." she blinked out the last few tears stuck in her eyes.

"I don't know, I have weekly scream sessions with Scorpia," Catra coughed, "and, uh, emotion management with Perfuma."

Adora smiled for the first time today. "Maybe I need to have my own sessions."

"Yeah? They're definitely helpful." Then Catra fell silent and Adora could only swallow. She had a bad feeling things would go sour soon again.

Before Adora could crumble, Catra spoke up, "But they're booked for the entire month by yours truly. Lucky for you, I'm a good substitute. What do you say? Am I hired?"

That earned her a small chuckle. "Maybe. How good are you?"

"I like to think I'm very good. Well-versed in Adora-isms and Adora-ings, both _very_ rare talents." She nudged Adora with her shoulder. "So what's up?"

Adora bit her lip and wracked her brain. It's not that she didn't trust Catra, she didn't trust herself. She didn't want to add another mistake.

Catra flicked her forehead, "Come on, Adora, I'm not asking for your darkest secret. I already know you hide your pony drawings under all your junk in your dresser." Adora whipped her head to glare at her.

"Swift Wind is not a pony, he's a unicorn!" Catra could only laugh and it made Adora laugh in earnest.

"You drew your bike as a unicorn? Are you going to draw me as a cat next time? Ears and tail and claws?" She mimed a toothy snarl and curled her hands. "Catra, the magic cat warrior."

They joked with each other, the glint in Adora's eyes returning slowly, bit by bit. Catra made sure her smile was wider than the last one. After awhile, their conversation drifted calmly into comfortable silence and they watched the clouds pass by. Catra was playing with Adora's fingers and Adora was nosing at Catra's ponytail.

Catra spoke up first, "Are you ready to talk to me now?" Adora blew air from her mouth weakly. She knew she wasn't getting away that easily. It never was with Catra.

"It's... stupid." She felt weak all of a sudden, like someone punched her squarely in the gut. She pushed through the bile threatening to come out. "It's nothing."

"Your knees say otherwise. Your hands and elbows don't lie either." She had let go of Adora's fingers to glance at her. Adora missed the contact.

Then it all came rushing out at once when Catra frowned at her. She exploded in a frantic haze, "I was-I was just making sandwiches when I-I-I cut my thumb because I wasn't being careful and it hurt enough that it kept _distracting_ me and then I tripped because I wasn't paying attention and my coach told me to take the day off because it's _not worth it_ but I-I know I could've done it if I just tried harder or if my coach actually let me do it but now she's going to think I'm losing _control_ because of that outburst in the office and I'm going to start _failing_ everyone on the team and then I'll get _kicked out_ of the team and-" she paused just briefly, "-and-and-and now, I don't have any way to make up for it and I hate it, Catra, I hate myself for being so useless, I hate myself for being so emotional, I'm so stupid, I'm so _stupid_ -"

"Adora-"

Distorted faces ghosted her vision-all twisted and angry and disappointed. "I hate myself, I hate myself-"

"Adora-" Catra's voice got louder.

Her entire body felt heavy. It was on fire and under water and falling through the air all at the same time. "It was just one small cut on the thumb-"

"Adora!" Catra gripped her face with one hand, "This is so you don't pass out on me." She let her go, "This is so you'll listen to me." Adora just rubbed her cheeks, a frown settled squarely on her face.

Catra continued, "You know what you're having? You're having a bad day. One bad day."

"But-" Catra held her face again.

"And you're hellbent on making it more than one bad day." She released it.

"Well-" Catra, thankfully, did not squish Adora's face but her voice took on a commanding tone.

"Adora. People still think you're the greatest soccer player on the field. People don't think you're being too emotional-I think they like how disgustingly passionate you get actually. People especially like how dependable you are." Adora's frown wavered.

But Catra barreled on, intent on cracking Adora mercilessly, "You're right about one thing though-you are stupid."

" _Excuse me-_ " but she got cut off by Catra once again.

"You're stupid because you keep torturing yourself for everyone. I hate that about you. You'd rather die than let someone help with your burden."

Adora's face softened, melancholic and weary. She felt guilty... and light.

"I hate that about you so much." Catra turned her head away from Adora. "I hate watching you go through it alone when I'm right here. You're so stupid."

A mirthless laugh escapes Catra. She leans to press her cheek against Adora's and looked at her. Her eyes were soft and sad and Adora wanted nothing more than to beat herself up for that.

"You have to be nice to yourself, Adora. You have to or you'll get lost in your head and I won't be able to bring you back..." she wavered, but she held strong, "so please... for once... forgive yourself."

She reached to wipe away a tear from Adora's eyes. Adora caught Catra's wrist and held it there, something to ground her, something to get it through her thick skull that she has someone who'll take care of her, someone who'll love her when she's lost the battle against herself, mistakes be damned.

When Adora opened her mouth, her voice was hoarse from fatigue and emotions and fear of failing, fear of being a coward, fear of losing herself. But Catra was there, and she knew Catra would always be there even at her worst.

So she spoke, with all the trust and hopes and dreams she could give and promise.

"...Okay, Catra... I'll try."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no betas i die like an idiot  
> Twitter: fbsp_art


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